Start Growing Saffron and Saving Money in Your Garden

Last Updated on January 3, 2022 by Real Men Sow

Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world. The reason for it is its way of harvesting. The bulb of a saffron creates a single flower that holds three of the female part of a flower, the spice itself. This spice is beautiful and its harvesting is complicated. Therefore, growing saffron is a great way to witness this gorgeous flower and also save money right in our garden.  

What is Saffron Crocus?

The Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus) is a beautiful plant that produces the spice, Saffron. Make sure to double-check if you’ve bought autumn crocus instead of buying saffron crocus, it’s not safe if you’ve bought autumn crocus because they’re poisonous.

The Saffron CrocusHow Much Does a Saffron Crocus Flower Produce?

When you have successfully grown saffron, a teaspoon of the spice can take 50 bulbs of Saffron Crocus, and that may seem too many. Don’t worry about running out because the plant is a multiplier and could provide you with tons of saffron after a long time. 

Growing Saffron Crocus Flower

The saffron bulbs are to be planted on free-draining soil that is exposed to sunshine during late summers and flowers appear in early spring. Don’t try to grow saffron bulbs on boggy soil or soil reluctant to drain, or your bulbs will rot. It’s recommended that you plant them in containers that will be raised off the ground to ensure drainage. 

When to Grow Saffron for Best Harvesting?

Don’t store your bulbs for too long, and make sure to plant them as soon as you get them. Create a hole that is about 10cm deep and drop a bulb with its pointy end up before proceeding to fill in the hole. The bulbs are to be spaces of at least 15cm apart. 

These plants are low-maintenance just as easy vegetable plants. Saffron can cope with temperatures well below freezing. It only needs you to water them when you live in an area prone to drought.

How to Harvest and Store Saffron

Saffron Spice

Getting the stigmas of the flowers needs patience and dedication. You’ll need a good stretch before concentrating intensely in harvesting the fragile flower. The best tool for it would be clean tweezers that can pluck the stigmas from the flower. 

Dry your stigmas by spreading them out on paper towels located somewhere warm and dry. Remember that it takes a few days for them to completely dry, so make sure it’s also located somewhere safe. 

Store your completely dried Saffron in an airtight container, that will be placed somewhere cool and dark (pantry or cupboard).

 

Real Men Sow
Real Men Sow

Hello, I’m Pete and I’m currently based in the west of Scotland, in a small place called Rosneath, where I’m exploring my garden adventures. I personally started gardening around 6 years ago and initially, I started out by growing my favorite fruits and berries, such as strawberries, Raspberries & Gooseberries. Since then I’ve added a lot of vegetables and working closely with my neighbor, it’s been a lot of fun.